[Reedsplinter]

Here's a hypothetical for all you SOTW inventive geniuses (i.e. everyone):

I saw/heard a local player yesterday who had a Selmer Serie III soprano in silver plate (beautiful!), and being a Ref. 36 player, I asked myself a series of questions which I had fun trying to answer. It occured to me that others might be interested in considering the same.

If Selmer decided to make a Reference version of the soprano, what year would they choose, and on what would they base their retro/modern soprano? Would the reference model be a Selmer at all, or another vintage instrument? What characteristics would this beastie have?

Weigh in, have fun.

 

[Grumps]

Since Selmer owns Buescher, they ought to try redoing the True Tone soprano.

 

[Dr G]

They would do best to copy a Yanagisawa.

Failing that, I would like to see/play a bent neck, straight sop with a fixed neck (not removable). No high G, please. That would put the horn in the years of the Mk VI to SA80 (aka Serie I). FWIW, I agree with Grumps that some of the best earlier vintage sops were from Buescher. Buescher was making quality sops long before Selmer figured it out.

 

[Paul B]

Classic Mk. VI era type horn with:

a) no high F# (and, obviously, no high G);

b) palm keys that are still flat like the VI, but elevated in some way to make them a little easier to play;

c) a left hand pinky table that is still narrow like that of the VI but slightly convex and easier to use; and

d) fixed neck design

Seems pointless to me to make a Reference soprano that is merely a Serie III with a few slight tweaks. The Mark VI is not as hard to play nor as out-of-tune as its detractors would have one believe, and a modernized version of it would be a great addition to Selmer's line.

 

[Reedsplinter]

They would do best to copy a Yanagisawa.

Failing that, I would like to see/play a bent neck, straight sop with a fixed neck (not removable). No high G, please. That would put the horn in the years of the Mk VI to SA80 (aka Serie I). FWIW, I agree with Grumps that some of the best earlier vintage sops were from Buescher. Buescher was making quality sops long before Selmer figured it out.

Isn't this (bent neck, fixed) what they've already done with the Serie III sop?

 

[Sigmund451]

How ever it turns out Im sure they wont take hypothetical cash for it :shock:

 

[Reedsplinter]

Shhhhh . . . that was my evil plan.

 

[RCNELSON]

Since Selmer owns Buescher, they ought to try redoing the True Tone soprano.

Being a happy TT soprano owner, I would have to 2nd this one.

 

[Dr G]

Isn't this (bent neck, fixed) what they've already done with the Serie III sop?

No, the III has interchangeable necks - one straight and one bent.

 

[Chris J]

Since Selmer owns Buescher, they ought to try redoing the True Tone soprano.

In the saxpics classification [ http://www.saxpics.com/buescher/truetone/index.htm ] : which series Buescher? Would it have the snap-ons?

I do like the idea of the TT resurrection

 

[A Greene]

There's plenty of MINTY VI sopranos around. Why bother? Apparently in 1970 every sax player bought a VI soprano and left it in the closet. It also seems more players dislike the VI soprano then actually like it.

IF you could get the same sound I'd like the following items on my VI: (of course then it wouldn't be a reference but an SA80 Soprano)

1. Front F (No high F# or G Key Needed)I have the Oleg Deal but have intall it yet.
2. Modern Palm Keys
3. Modern Left hand pinky cluster
4. A one piece Bent Neck options would be nice (I'm not a double neck fan)

I'm convince that the palm key configuration with all the toneholes in-line in the front of the horn ( High D, Eb, F) helps create the VI sound. Just speculation but I've not seem that sort of tonehole set-up on non-Selmer horns. (Unless it's a VI copy)